The Eternal Shadow
by Ark of Terra
Summary: What if Zidane never went back to save Kuja? What if Necron survived the last battle? What if he came back...as Kuja? What if the battle has just begun? (By the way, no this is NOT Z/K, it's Z/D)*Chapter 3 up*
1. Prolgue

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy IX or any characters within this document.  
  
Note: I have made 2 changes to the plot:  
1. Dagger never cut her hair short  
2. Zidane does not go back to save Kuja  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~THE ETERNAL SHADOW~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
--------------------------------------Prologue------------------------------ --------  
  
"Why defy your fate?" The great voice echoed throughout Memoria. As the voice boomed, several shafts of light descended upon the heroes, and warped them to the exterior of the battleground.  
  
"Is the will to live that powerful...?"  
  
A bright light shone from the center of the demon. Beams of light began dancing around the vertical shaft of a battlefield. As the beams began to disappear, blue tendrils of electricity converged upon Necron. The surges of electricity swung around the room, never straying from its focal point. The electrical charge struck the wall of the area, and the wall began to disintegrate into dust and stone. The wall continued to break around the entire shaft, with the master of death in the center, stunned by his defeat.  
  
The orange clouds beyond the walls shone brightly as the walls continued to dissipate. As the destruction of the shaft completed, a bright light once again burst from Necron. Suddenly, an explosion of red flames cut through Necron's left shoulder. The point of the explosion began to burn with energy, as light and stone converged into his soldier. Several beams of blue energy swirled around Necron's beaten form. From his chest, another burning light emerged, seemingly combining with the flare on his shoulder. Another, larger blast of energy erupted from his head. The blue energy beams swirled and met at his chest and then set off a blast of immense power. The shock was so intense, that Necron folded his massive wings to cover himself and the explosion. Strobes of darkness emitted from Necron's form, as the energy of his being began to fold into itself. The blue tendrils of electricity returned and flowed over his body and curved as if to form a sphere around him.  
  
"This is not the end...I am eternal..." The voice said as the energy reduced his form, and the electricity began seeking to ground itself, and branched away from his poles. The darkness grew deeper.  
  
"...as long as there is life and death..." The crushing power of the beast's epitaph created a gravitational surge that pulled in the bands of electricity. The creature's form now resembled less of an entity, and more of a black hole. The mass at the very center of Necron's tomb had become so massive that it collapsed into itself, sending a shockwave of purple energy horizontally throughout the sky. As the last traces of Necron disappeared from Gaia, the sky shone as brightly as the sun. The light then reduced in size until it fell into itself yet again, disappeared into less than a pinpoint of light, and then exploded in an atomic-like blast that shook the Iifa Tree and the very earth itself.  
  
As the Hilda Garde 3 picked up the group of heroes, the Iifa tree began its violent reaction. Snake-like tendrils cashed through the ground, the roots shook erratically, and the tree began to petrify. Meanwhile, the entire thing was being watched by an unseen force.  
  
'...So they managed to succeed...their power cannot be denied...If I am to bring about the zero-world, I must acquire a form worthy to fight them...' Necron thought as his unseen form scanned the Iifa tree. 'The strongest of Eidolons was unable to conquer them...who then can compare to their power? ...Wait...there...yes! His power surpasses that of even Cryzo! Yes...I will use him to bring the zero-world to Gaia!'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~Meanwhile...~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Kuja's battered form rested, unmoving on a platform deep beneath the Iifa tree. Blood ran from many parts of his body. He opened his eyes slowly, though it did no good, as his eyes were flooded with his own blood. "My time has come...I suppose this is what I deserve. I don't deserve to live after all I've done......" He closed his eyes sorrowfully. "Zidane...If you can hear me...Please tell your friends that I'm sorry for what I've done..." Kuja then collapsed, unconscious.  
  
As his form rested there, the vines of Iifa stormed in through the opening in the cave. The vines headed straight for Kuja. As they reached him, a bright flash covered the area. Blue electricity converged on Kuja. The bolts repelled the vines, sending them into the walls. Kuja's body glowed bright blue, and his body went into a slightly blue tone. After a moment, Kuja climbed to his feet. His face was much paler than it was before, and it was scarred by a few black marks. He looked at his hands and smiled. He let out a menacing laugh. "Yes! This body shall do just fine!" Kuja said in a tone reflecting Necron. "It is time..." Kuja then floated out of the cavern.  
  
Within the roots of the dying Iifa Tree, Kuja landed upon one of the few stationary roots. He laid his hand upon the root. "Power of death..." A flash of blue light emanated from Kuja. "Power of the void..." Another flash. "Eternity in darkness..." A flash burst forth from both Kuja and the root. "Eternity in despair..." Another flash from the root and Kuja. "Power of Necron divide!" The flashes then became a constant glow engulfing the root. "Power of Necron...Master of death and void...the eternal despair of darkness...I command you now! Split thy spirit, that I may be both, eternal and undefeatable...I command forth the powers of Iifa!!!" The root began glowing brightly. When the glow subsided, the root was tinted blue. Kuja seemed to have been weakened by this ritual. He floated slowly into the sky, and then disappeared in a flash of light.  
  
The blue root began wriggling and then it sprouted five smaller blue- green vines, that screeched wildly and burrowed into the earth. Necron's voice clearly emanated from the root. "Mwahahahahahaha!!!! With both Kuja and a piece of Iifa under my control, I can begin to bring forth the Zero- world!! First, I must return the Dredge of Souls to Gaia..."  
  
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A/N: Pretty short, but it's just a prologue. R/R and I'll try to write again soon. 


	2. Minor Turbulence

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy IX or any characters within this document.  
  
Note: I have made 2 changes to the plot:  
1. Dagger never cut her hair short  
2. Zidanee does not go back to save Kuja  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~THE ETERNAL SHADOW~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
------------------------Chapter 1: Minor Turbulence-------------------------  
  
The Hilda Garde III cut through the clouds like a knife. The heroes had been successfully extracted from the Iifa Tree area shortly before the tree's violent reaction began. Now, they all had an opportunity for some much needed rest. The sun was high in the sky, casting the ship's shadow upon the ocean below. The clouds rolled over the skip as water would over the hull of a boat.  
  
Zidane stood at the very front of the Hilda Garde III, letting the water vapor in the clouds cool him off. He stared out at the vast clouds before them. He smiled slightly to himself. Vivi stood nearby, observing the "windmills" as he called them. He looked the same as he always did. Amarant was also nearby, keeping to himself. The rest of them were inside, getting some rest after a long while of fighting.  
  
The airship was now over the vast ocean separating the Outer and Mist Continents. The sun sparkled upon the rich and clear waters, though it was very hard to see from their current cloud-borne position. Zidane stared out upon the surrounding sky for a few moments and then turned to go inside. Vivi's eyes followed him into the airship, and then returned to the clouds. Amarant glanced at him indifferently.  
  
Zidane arrived at his cabin after a few moments. He was tired after having fought with Necron, and would have liked nothing more than to take a long rest. He stretched out on his bed and began to doze off.  
  
On the bridge, Cid, Erin and the other crew members were focusing on getting back to Lindblum. Ordinarily the flight would require little effort, but the shockwave of Iifa's reaction damaged the engines to a degree, and managed to damage the fuel tanks, and the ship was now leaking a small amount of the hot water required to produce the steam that powered the ship. They now had to carefully monitor the gauges and needles to be sure the pressure didn't overwhelm the machine. They spoke together about a possible problem. About five miles ahead was a large cloud that occupied several square miles. It spanned to the water's surface and high into the sky.  
  
"Bur Regent, they're just clouds!" One of the crew members said.  
  
"That they are, but they are thicker than normal, and that could put an extra strain on our already damaged engines..." Cid replied.  
  
"What does the thickness of the cloud matter? It's still a cloud."  
  
"...I've been monitoring the pressure of clouds as opposed to mist. They are similar alone, but I found that if large quantities of mist are absorbed into a single cloud can cause a massive change in pressure and mass."  
  
"Well, we could change our altitude sir..." Erin interjected.  
  
"This particular mist-cloud can not be avoided simply by changing our altitude...and we can't go around it either, we barely have enough steam to get to Lindblum as it is...guys, prep the engines, this is going to get a bit bumpy."  
  
Vivi and Amarant were still on deck, and the rest of them rested down below (Except for Quina who kept trying to eat the clouds). Vivi looked at the dark mist-cloud on the horizon. "It sure is big..." Vivi said, trying to make conversation with Amarant, who pretended not to hear him. After a moment of Vivi expecting Amarant to say something, Cid came out on the deck.  
  
"Vivi, Amarant! You guys had better come in, that mist-cloud is going to rough up our ship a bit and we don't want to lose you." Cid gestured for them to come in. Vivi nodded and walked inside. Cid stared at Amarant, who hadn't moved from when Cid spoke. "What are you waiting for? Come on!"  
  
"Don't bother me," Amarant said sternly. "I do things my own way. I'm fine out here."  
  
"Suit yourself," Cid said as he walked inside himself. Amarant stared out at the mist-cloud. The darkness of the cloud seemed to spread. About two-thirds of the sky were blotted out by dark storm clouds.  
  
A bolt of lightning split the darkness ahead of the Hilda Garde III. Amarant looked on as a spray of water erupted from the sea. The mist-cloud yielded lightning twice more before it began to rain. The rain was much heavier than was averagely seen on Gaia, about ten times as heavy as it was in Burmecia. Amarant looked upon the scene unfolding. 'Maybe I SHOULD go inside...' He thought to himself as he turned away from the storm.  
  
As Amarant walked through the doorway to the bridge, Cid, Vivi and Freya looked over to him. Cid smiled and laughed. Freya snickered. "I thought you said you'd be fine out there."  
  
Amarant just glared at Freya and went downstairs. Freya fixed her gaze at the storm ahead as they prepared to enter it.  
  
However, beneath the ship another presence existed. The water was disrupted as if an entity moved beneath the surface, dividing the surface. Not only one entity, but five traveled across the sea, tailing the Hilda Garde III. The entities surfaced momentarily, and revealed themselves to be vines, from the Iifa Tree, tinted blue by a dark and arcane power. "It's time to settle the score...prepare to die!" Necron's voice echoed across the ocean as the vines went skyward and flew straight towards the Hilda Garde III.  
  
Amarant reached his cabin after a minute. His cabin was situated in the very back of the airship. He sat down on his bed and looked at the storm outside. As he looked out the window, he saw five separate vines like those from the Iifa Tree following the ship. As he watched, one of them flew right towards him. He knew exactly what was happening. He slipped on the claws that were on the table next to him and jumped towards the door as the large vine crashed through the back of his cabin, shattering the wall. Amarant braced himself as the vine plowed into him. He fought desperately to fight back the vine, but as it forced him against the door, he realized that it wasn't an ordinary vine. The "vine" emitted a growling sound and opened its mouth, showing off a row of teeth that were double pronged, and glistened in the light.  
  
"Damn!" Amarant yelled as the vine-creature pulled back. It screeched through its teeth before lunging at him again, and sinking its teeth into his left arm. Amarant screamed in pain as he tried to fight it off his arm. After a moment of struggling, Amarant pierced the creature's side with his right claw. Green ichor leaked from its side as Amarant twisted his claw to inflict greater pain. The creature screeched again and pulled back just enough for Amarant to slash it across the face with his left claw, sending it backwards. Amarant clutched his left arm in pain. The creature got in a ready stance and screeched at Amarant. Amarant scowled at the beast and let his arms hand low, in his traditional fighting stance. "Bring it on."  
  
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A/N: Perhaps "Minor" Turbulence wasn't the best title for this chapter, anyways R/R. More soon... 


	3. Battle in the Skies

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy IX or any characters within this document.  
  
Note: If you see a (Music Cue:) within the story, and you own the Final Fantasy IX soundtrack, play the track to amplify your experience (Chapter 2 onward)  
  
Note: I have made 2 changes to the plot:  
1. Dagger never cut her hair short  
2. Zidane does not go back to save Kuja  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~THE ETERNAL SHADOW~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
------------------------Chapter 2: Battle in the Skies----------------------  
--  
  
Zidane walked through the darkness searching. Searching for someone. For anyone. For Dagger. He looked around and continued walking. He was then bathed in a vibrant blue light. The light surrounded him and caused him to cover his eyes to shield them from the burning. As his eyes became accustomed to the brightness, he thought he saw Kuja within the light. He was holding his head as if in pain. He then called out to Zidane in a loud voice.  
  
"You have to help! That which you have accomplished was in vain! The scourge of eternity lives on...I am but a puppet, conformed to his whims...I now suffer day and night, my pain knows no bounds, and my spirit is in shreds. End my suffering Zidane!"  
  
As Kuja said that, Zidane was thrown out of his bed and against one of the walls of his cabin. Zidane struggled to his feet. "What was that!?" He had barely recovered his footing when a second crash shook the airship. He was thrown off his feet again and as he fell to the ground he witnessed the wall of his cabin being torn asunder a large vine. Zidane couldn't believe his eyes. It was from the Iifa Tree. The vine turned towards Zidane and opened its mouth, bearing two rows of sharp teeth. Zidane quickly righted himself and instinctively reached for the thief sword on his back. Zidane's heart skipped a beat. Nothing was there. He checked for a dagger. Nothing. He looked over at the table that had been shattered when the vine crashed through the wall. There were his weapons, being guarded by the creature. Zidane stepped backwards, towards the door.  
  
'If I can slide below him and grab my weapons, I might be able to inflict some damage before he can follow my movement.' He thought as he prepared to make his move. The vine-creature had other plans, though. The creature lunged at Zidane with its mouth gaping open. "Dammit!" He yelled as he dove to his left to avoid the creature's attack. The monster ripped through the door of the cabin and flew out into the hall, ramming into a wall lined with pipes. The pipes broke, releasing hot steam into the hallway. The creature was stunned momentarily. "I way not have a weapon, but I can still fight!" Zidane exclaimed as he ran towards the doorway. He jumped into the doorframe and sprung off of it towards the monster, delivering a swift kick into its side, sending it sprawling down the hall and through another door.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Amarant parried an incoming attack with his left claw and countered with his right. His attack left a trail of green "blood" on the floor. He smiled to himself, despite the searing pain in his left arm. As the creature stood up, a violent crash rippled through the ship. "What...? More!?" Amarant asked himself as the monster made another attack. The creature opened its mouth to bite and lunged. Amarant held it at bay and kept its mouth open with his claw and with his other, punched through the round of its mouth. The monster howled in agony. Amarant withdrew his claws from the beast and backhanded it to his left. Amarant jabbed his claw into the monster's side and kicked it into the wall to his right. As it hit he jumped at it and slashed an X into it with his claws. He then proceeded to thrust his claws into it and move them away from each other, ripping the creature's side apart. He then grabbed the creature with his claws, and tossed it across the room, and out the gaping hole in the room. He watched as the badly wounded creature tried to move back towards him. As it righted itself, Amarant drew an item from his table. It was about the size of a dinner plate, and was in the pattern of a sun, and each fiery trail of the sun branched off into arms that spiraled counter-clockwise and ended in razor-sharp edges.  
  
Amarant threw the rising sun out into the sky at the creature. The razor-edged weapon flew straight into the creature's "neck" and cut completely through it. The vine-monster then went limp and fell into the ocean below. Amarant breathed a sigh of relief and clutched his bleeding arm in pain. The moment he did so, he heard a screeching coming from behind his door. He turned to it just in time to see another vine-creature crash through his door. "Oh-!" Amarant was struck by the monster and knocked out the shattered wall. As he was hit, he twisted his body and grabbed onto the ledge of his room. The beast's momentum carried it out of the room and Amarant seized the opportunity and latched onto the creature. The monster's course was straight down from here. Amarant stood up as best he could and began running against its movement, doing little more than slowing his own movement downward.  
  
As the vine plummeted, it began to recover and began heading back towards Amarant. One of the three vines still following at a distance also began flew at him. As both of the creatures neared, Amarant leapt towards the new one and spun 180 degrees and impelled his claws through its skin. The new creature soared through the air and over the airship, heading apparently for the bridge. As it got close, he jumped.  
  
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"No! Amarant!" Zidane yelled as he stepped backwards, unable to believe what he had done. He looked on at the scene in the sky behind the ship. The dark sky of the storm nearly hid from him the vines. As Zidane watched, he saw Amarant, alive, if not a little stunned, grab onto another vine. He was relieved at this (As relieved as one can be when your airship is being attacked by evil vine creatures...) However, this relief quickly faded as the vine he knocked away charged in through the opening in Amarant's cabin. Zidane quickly looked over to where his weapons were. However, he saw nothing where they had been before. They had been sucked out shortly after the vine attacked. As the vine perked up and prepared to attack, Zidane scanned his surroundings. His eyes fell on the source of the steam in the hall. One of the broken pipes on the wall...the longest one was as tall as Zidane. This was his only option.  
  
----------(Musical Cue: You're Not Alone!)----------  
  
Zidane grabbed the longest pipe and tried to pull it away from the wall. It was still connected on the bottom. As the vine began charging towards him, Zidane delivered a swift kick into the bottom of the pipe, effectively breaking it loose. He quickly spun the thick pipe around and slammed it into the beast's head, knocking it into the wall. Zidane smiled as he held it the way he would a thief sword. He stepped forward and swung the pipe upwards, hitting the monster up from the ground. He then swung it clockwise across its face. He reversed the direction of his swing and hit the vine as it was knocked away with the first hit. He finished his attack with a kick into the beast's face. The creature prepared to strike again, and Zidane prepared his defense.  
  
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At the bridge, Cid, Erin, Vivi and Freya stood, unable to comprehend the battle that was taking place around them. Cid had just attributed the crashing noises and shaking to the mist-cloud they were passing through. Suddenly, Amarant fell to the deck just outside the bridge. Everyone inside was startled to see this. Amarant stood up, shook off the fall, and then dove through the glass window separating the deck and the cockpit. As he did so, a vine crashed through the deck, and a large piece of the front of the ship broke off, and drifted away.  
  
Freya raised her lance. "Get out of here Cid!" Cid Erin and the rest of the crew she didn't mention left without a second thought. Vivi stepped backwards and raised his hands. Amarant stood up and shook off the glass with his right hand, since his left was in no condition to be used at this point. He then got in a one handed fighting stance. He nodded to Freya. She nodded back.  
  
"Spirit of the healing dragon, blow your kindness in. Reis' Wind!" Freya chanted and swung her lance. The spirit of a dragon drifted over the three, and a cool, refreshing wind blew across them. Amarant could feel his left arm feeling better already. He raised his right claw, ready to fight.  
  
The vine readied itself and charged into the bridge.  
  
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A/N Sorry it took so long to update...yeah...school...anyways...next chapter will be up within the next few days. Keep your eyes out for it! 


	4. Force of a Storm

Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy IX or any characters within this document.  
  
Note: If you see a (Music Cue:) within the story, and you own the Final Fantasy IX soundtrack, play the track to amplify your experience (Chapter 2 onward)  
  
Note: I have made 2 changes to the plot:  
1. Dagger never cut her hair short  
2. Zidane does not go back to save Kuja  
  
THE ETERNAL SHADOW  
  
Chapter 3: The Force of a Storm  
  
Glass shattered and wood snapped as the vine monster charged into the bridge from the deck. The three fighters stood waiting. Freya steadied her lance and ran towards the beast. Amarant took a step back and held his good arm out in a threatening position. Vivi held his hands out, ready should he be needed. Freya jumped straight at the vine, and swung her lance in a sweeping motion. Her weapon put a slash in its "face" and caused it to fall on one side.  
  
Freya pulled her lance around, and thrusted it into the monster's body. She impelled her weapon as deep as she could before pulling it out and stepping back. The creature was motionless for a minute. Freya let her weapon fall to her side, as she breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, the serpentine plant upped itself and lunged at the Burmecian Dragon Knight. Freya barely had enough time to bring her lance up to parry the attack. However, the attack was so strong, she staggered backwards and her lance was knocked out of her hand, across the room. As Freya regained her footing, she realized that her weapon was missing. "Dammit!" She yelled as she jumped backwards.  
  
The monster seamed to laugh, as if taunting her. It then began slinking around the room, trying to corner her. Freya stayed as far from the creature as she could. However it was no use, and she eventually found herself trapped in the corner.  
  
'Where are Amarant and Vivi!?' She asked herself as the vine prepared to deal the deathblow.  
  
"Burning essences embrace the flow...Fira!" A voice boomed from behind the snake-like monster, and a split second later, it was engulfed in flames. The creature let out a shrill cry and turned to face the one who attacked. As it turned around, a glaive-like object flew into the creature's body, spraying green ichor across the room.  
  
----------(Musical Cue: Battle Theme)----------  
  
Freya then saw Amarant strafing across the room. He nodded to her and then threw her lance across the room to her. It spun horizontally, so Freya had to grab it at the right time, or risk being slashed by her own weapon. She nodded back to Amarant, before jumping into the ceiling and springing off of it, to thrust her weapon deep into the creature's "back".  
  
She drove the weapon as the creature violently tried to shake her off. She held on to her weapon while forcing it as deep as she could. Amarant just stood smiling at this point. He readied another rising sun and let it fly towards the body of the beast. The creature shrieked quickly before putting all its force beneath it and rose up into the ceiling. Freya was crushed between the monster's rough hide and the Hilda Garde 3's ceiling. She lost her footing and fell off, her lance remaining in the beast's flesh. As the monster rose, Amarant's rising sun passed harmlessly beneath the monster. Amarant gritted his teeth and got back in a fighting stance. Reis' Wind had managed to recover his left arm to a usable state. He readied his claws and prepared to charge. However, Vivi was one step ahead of him.  
  
"Crystalline power, accumulate and scatter...Blizzara!" He chanted as a cool wind briefly blew from away from Vivi. A moment afterwards, frost buildup covered the vine, and began to solidify. The creature's raw power prevented the spell from completely freezing it, but it managed to slow it down a bit. Freya rushed at the creature as best she could to try and recover her weapon, but it rammed her with its bulk and knocked her into the wall. Amarant attacked swiftly and slashed it across its side, but he was quickly knocked off his feet and into the wall. With his two companions out of the battle for the moment, Vivi backed away from the beast that now glared right at him.  
  
---------(Musical Cue: Hunter Chance)----------  
  
"S-s-sky's f-fury, strike with po-power...Thunder!" Vivi stammered nervously. From the pitch black clouds outside, a bolt of lightning struck the creature. As it hit, Freya's lance acted as a lightning rod, causing the beast to howl in pain and back away from Vivi. Vivi's thoughts turned to confidence. "Black clouds, peel forth your anger...Thundara!" Two bolts of light converged upon the rod protruding from the monster, and the entire vine was bathed in a scorching light. As the light faded, traces of electricity danced around the creature. Amarant stumbled to his feet as this happened, and made a mad dash at the creature as the Thundara faded. He leapt at the beast's temporarily disabled form and grabbed Freya's weapon, and ripped through its flesh, freeing the lance. He tossed it to Freya who swung it horizontally, knocking the creature up and back. Amarant then delivered a hard kick into the beast, knocking it out into the blackness of the storm.  
  
"This one's all yours, Vivi!" Freya yelled to her friend as she backed away from the now destroyed deck. Vivi nodded and extended his hands again.  
  
"The tempest's finale, the squall's conclusion; Release your rage in mighty grandeur...Thundaga!" As he spoke these words, the black clouds lit with a bright flash as a huge bolt of static force cut through the sky and blasted right through the falling vine, rending it in two pieces. The three warriors breathed deeply as their foe crashed into the water below. However, their relief was overshadowed by the sight of another vine creature racing towards them from in front of the airship. The next vine flew through the bridge, as the three dove away from it to dodge the attack. They soon realized that they were not its target. The monster crashed through the wall of the door that led down to the below deck quarters.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~Meanwhile~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Zidan slammed his staff-weapon into the vine, knocking it into the wall of the cramped hallway. He stepped forwards and swung his rod downwards, dealing a painful blow to its jaws. 'Does everybody else on this ship sleep like a rock!? Where are the others!?' He thought as the creature righted itself and howled angrily. He got into a ready stance. He stepped forward quickly and swung it upwards, stunning the creature and then jabbed the creature with the end of his weapon and then backed away as he swung it horizontally.  
  
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Steiner tried in vain to sleep in his cabin. Loud bangs and crashes kept hindering his sleep, but he kept attributing the sounds to the mist cloud. Steiner grumbled and sat up. "Cid said that it would be only slightly more intense than ordinary turbulence...This can't be good...I should go see him..." Steiner got up and opened the door to the hall way. Steiner gasped and stumbled back when he saw a giant vine barring his path. He was even more shocked when he saw it fly away from the door. Zidane came into view, swinging a long pipe at the vine-creature. Zidan shot a look at Steiner that said 'What the hell took you so long!?' Steiner was too shocked to move for a moment. "W-where is the princess!?" He asked Zidan. Zidane swung his staff and kicked the creature back.  
  
"She's still in her cabin, like everybody else on this ship! You're the first one up...Good morning!" He replied as he continued fighting the creature. Steiner gasped again, and rushed out past Zidan and went over to room that went into Dagger's room. He knocked as hard as he could until she opened the door.  
  
"Princess! We need to get out of here!!" He yelled. Dagger was going to ask why, but she understood when she saw Zidan attacking a vine creature.  
  
"What's going on!?" She asked in a panic.  
  
"No time! Follow me princess!" Steiner began leading her out of the hallway, and towards the stairs that lead to the bridge. As they reached the stairs, another vine beast crashed through the door, splintering it. As it headed towards Steiner, he quickly unsheathed his sword and slashed at the creature's head. The attack did little than scratch the surface, but it sent the creature into the nearby wall. Steiner held his sword forwards threateningly. "Princess! Hurry! I'll take care of this!" Dagger nodded after a brief moment, and then headed up the stairs.  
  
Steiner and Zidan walked towards each other without facing away from their opponents. "Do you think we can take them?" Steiner asked.  
  
"It won't be easy..." Zidane replied, as he readied his weapon.  
  
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Sorry this chapter only lasted a short while, but it's slightly longer than the last few, I think. The next chapter will chronicle the ending of the aerial battle with the "Necro-vines". The end draws near...Of this battle...not the story (I'm planning on at least 20 chapters at the moment...We have a LONG way to go)...see ya soon! 


End file.
